Last Stand Against Armageddon!

"Reports are still arriving of the countless deaths across Japan. We are in mourning over the tragic loss of life, as Doctor Octopus continues her reign of terror across the country. With no word from the military or our government, there appears to be no clear end in sight of this horrible nightmare…"

A shaking finger shut the TV off. Hikari Horaki had never felt more afraid than today.

They were sequestered inside of a NERV shelter, distant from Tokyo-3. Katsuragi had set it up, in light of a military invasion that was to come today. It reminded Hikari of the shelters in the city. They were cramped, the designers underestimating how many people would need to be safely evacuated for an Angel battle. The current shelter, at least, did not have this issue. Families kept together in their own spots, with enough distance between that walking was easy. The Horakis, the Aidas, and Suzuharas stuck to their own side of the shelter, due to their nominal familiarity.

Hikari was happy her father allowed it. If nothing else, she was glad to have introduced Nozomi and Kodama to Touji. Nozomi took to Touji instantly, him proudly parading her around like his own little sister- which noticeably caused Sakura to look on in jealousy, Hikari noted- while Kodama merely gave him a silent nod. Her father did much the same.

Her mind drifted to an image of red hair, wondering if her father would like her too…

In the midst of madness, Hikari prayed for Misato, for the pilots, especially for Asuka, that they would be successful in repelling the attack. Nobody deserved to die in such a horrible way.

A small, traitorous thought- one Hikari desperately tried to squash- whispered gratitude that her sisters were with her, and not out there. No matter how bad things were at NERV, Hikari could keep her sisters safe. Whatever happened, the world would resume and everything would be alright after today.

She had no idea how much worse it could get.

Hikari often felt left out when it came to the Spider-Clan. Hikari couldn't even begin to process that a shy boy like Shinji could be Spider-Man, let alone that her own friend Asuka had been possessed by an Angel and later got powers of her own, or that Rei was a clone of Shinji's mother. Touji and Kensuke seemed to take the insanity as it went. Hikari envied them.

Now… Hikari couldn't decide if she preferred knowing or not. She heard stories about Dr. Naoko Akagi, also known as Doctor Octopus. Hikari felt a measure of pity over how unfairly the scientist had been treated for years. The pity had long since turned to fear. Even if they left the shelter, countless cities would be in ruins, and it would be her fault.

"Hikari?"

She blinked. Touji sat next to her, hand on her shoulder. His brown eyes shined with worry. It was one of the things Hikari loved about Touji. No matter how he acted in school, he had a sensitive side all his own she got to see.

"You okay?"

"… I can't say I am." She answered honestly. "I thought it was going to be just the military, you know? NERV had Evas, our friends, so much time… I didn't expect all of this."

Touji nodded. "I don't think any of us did. I knew the doc was crazy, but to think she'd go this far… it's like she's some kind of cockroach. I hate it. I hate not knowing anything either."

So did she. Hikari had an active, horrible imagination. She thought of the ways Asuka, Shinji, Rei could all be killed or worse…

It was then that Hikari realized. "You were waiting on news for Shinji, were you?"

"… Yup." Touji couldn't help but shake his head, a small blush forming around his nose. "He's a brother. I owe him everything after that Venom shit." He looked at Hikari. "Don't worry. I'm sure the Devil won't go down easily either."

Hikari smiled. "You do care."

"Shut up. I just know her. She won't let herself die like that." Touji frowned. "They're gonna stop that bitch. I know it."

"I hope so…" She looked around. "Where's Kensuke?"

"Bathroom." Touji said. "He couldn't take the carnage out there. He had to take a break. Can't say I blame him."

She couldn't either. Hikari sighed.

"Will it ever be the same, Touji? Tell me, are we going back to normal some day?"

Touji's face fell. His shoulders shrugged. "I don't know, Hikari... I just don't…"

"It all seems gloom at first. In my experience, however, hope has a way of coming out when you least expect it"

Hikari and Touji sharply turned. A man in a labcoat, a total stranger in his eyes, just talked.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt." The man shook his head. "Dr. Tori. Pleased to meet you."

"Yes sir." Hikari bowed, as much as she could sitting down. "Horaki. Class Representative… or used to be."

"You seem like to be in good hands." Dr. Tori said, causing the two to start blushing awkwardly. "To tell you the truth, I have been thinking about the future for the longest time. Our world is on the brink of collapse, if it hasn't already. Japan will take years to recover from this catastrophe. Our systems were wrong. Even the Earth's environment may collapse one day."

"What's your point, doc?" Touji said. "Because no offense, we're really not in the mood."

"Perhaps I was just thinking… looking at you two, I see that our youth carries a lot of potential. To truly save our world, we will need to take drastic action to undo the mistakes made by our elders."

Hikari swallowed a lump in her throat. "That's a lot… I don't even know where to begin."

"Nobody does. We maintain our hope however we can."

As he turned away from them, Dr. Tori frowned. His thoughts went elsewhere.

'I wonder about that blue haired girl I met the other day. She said she would maintain that hope for the both of us. I hope she is alright, wherever she is…'

Rei Ayanami was unsettled.

They had passed through several corridors. All of them were filled with bloodied walls and dead personnel. She was able to recognize was able to recognize as technicians who worked on the Evas. Others were strangers she only caught glimpses of daily. Many more she did not know. Now, she never would.

NERV was never home, Rei knew now. The Commander- no, Gendo Ikari- did not care about her, and purposely left her at a dilapidated apartment to keep his distance. For her brief lifespan, Rei was aware of how easily she could be replaced. She knew that, within the walls of this place, nobody would know if she went missing and was replaced by another. Only her brother, Asuka and the Stooges ever got a look at her heart. The many employees of NERV had too much in their own lives to care about her.

Even so, Rei did not hold it against them. No man is an island, but a mass of land all the same. NERV was an archipelago of islands, and they have been eradicated by a vindictive, spiteful ocean. Rei could not help but weep for the lost souls of NERV, lives taken far too soon.

So many died during the invasion, while she lived…

Shaken by such thoughts, Rei turned to her companion, hoping for clarity. Marie Vincennes, in her haste, did not offer any.

If she felt the same horror Rei did, the Black Cat did a better job of hiding it. The girl moved with precise direction, swiftly pulling Rei from room to room, never lingering too long. If they did, the soldiers would find and kill them. The thief was efficient, if nothing else. She had to be in order to land on her feet.

"I think the coast is clear, Rei." She said. "Come on, we should go."

Marie made a move to the left, before sensing something wrong. She turned back.

"Rei? Ayanami?"

Rei stood frozen over the body.

Her face was impassive, staring down at a lifeless corpse, wearing a NERV uniform. She did not know his name, let alone what he did. He was only a body to her. Her hands couldn't help but shake regardless.

Earlier, she felt a jolt in pain and hatred, having sensed her other self torn apart by the brutal machines outside of NERV. What did this person feel, when he was gunned down mercilessly by uncaring madmen? Did he pray to some god for salvation? Did he know anyone in the base he wanted to protect? Did he have anyone outside this hell?

"Rei?"

She turned her head. "Why?"

"Why what?" Marie turned her head, keeping herself from gasping. "Oh my god…"

"Why them? Why-?" Rei growled, much to her own surprise. "Sorry…"

"No it's fine. I hate it too." Marie said. "They were in the way, so they had to die. That's probably what the army guys thought."

"They didn't have to die."

"No, that's why they were monsters. We tried to save as many as we could." Marie shook her head. "And it still wasn't enough…"

Rei sensed experience behind Marie's words. She chose not to ask.

"There is nothing to be done then." Rei said. "These people died and that was all?"

"I know. I'm sorry." Marie took Rei's hand. "We don't have much time. Please."

"There has to be something!" Rei shouted, ripping her hand away from Marie. "Anything! They cannot have died for nothing!"

Marie looked to her left and right. To her relief, no one was around to hear Rei's yelling.

"Sometimes, things are out of our control. That's not failure or anything to do with you, even if it feels like it. We just can't do anything about it."

"There has to be! It can't…" Rei's voice shook. "I cannot be useless while Asuka or Shinji die alone… no… I just…"

Marie forcibly grabbed Rei's shoulders.

"Listen, this isn't about you! Or at least, not just you. We're all in this for our own reasons. Asuka isn't going to die here! You know better than that! None of our friends are going to die, not as long as we're alive. We live in an imperfect world, a very messy, broken one at any rate, but we can't quit while we're ahead. Please Rei, come with me! We need to go!"

Rei lowered her head. "What is the point… when there is so little we can do…?"

"We focus on what we can! Asuka wants you safe, and I'm going to keep you safe. Come, we need to get to Misato."

Ayanami kept silent, unwilling to move from her spot.

"…"

Marie grew desperate. She turned her head again. This time, she overheard approaching footsteps.

"Look, unless you can change the world in a blink of an eye, we won't be getting anywhere! Come on!"

"…"

Rei blinked.

"… Yes, I believe we should."

"Good." Marie said. "Come, we better move."

With that, the Black Cat took Rei by the hand, both narrowly avoiding another patrol.

"What's up with this sack of shit lying around?!"

Kiyanon Shiryō did not like messes. Much like everyone else in the JSSDF, he prided himself on his cleanliness and efficiency. Gunning down the NERV personnel was simply dirty business. He didn't want to make more of a mess than what was required, unlike the rest of his men. The Master Planner promised all of them a chance to remain relevant in the new world, a chance where they could remain as brothers in arms. Shiryō couldn't deny that chance.

Their latest job was to clear out the holding cells. With the exception of Abner Jenkins, who the doctor gave explicit orders to let go, everyone caught in the wing were to be terminated quickly. For the most part, it was an easy task.

The only complication was a living, breathing white mass sitting in the middle of the hallway. The Master Planner informed them of the mass, but seeing it was a different story.

"I don't know what that is sir." Ikita Shitai, one of his men, said. "It's some kind of… thing…"

Another soldier went to poke at it with his gun. Shiryō slapped it away.

"Do you even know what the fuck that is?!" Shiryō yelled at him. "We got spider people all over this joint, and you want to touch that crap?! Might as well shoot the rest of us dead while you were at it!"

The soldier had the decency to look ashamed. Shiryō was not impressed. He observed the mass, watching it ebb and flow like it was… breathing. Shiryō did not know how to proceed.

"I'm going to call the Master Planner. Stay put."

He moved away from his men's line of sight, talking into the radio. If their commander was this uncertain, it was a bad idea to disobey orders. They heard horror stories of what Spider-Man would do to them- like controlling spiders to eat their flesh- and were certain they shouldn't poke at the white mass to sate their curiosity.

They did it anyway.

"Haha, look at this!" Shinda Niku laughed, poking his gun at the mass. "What do you think's inside? Another freak like those spiders?!"

"Yeah, haha!" A rather stupid soldier named Orokana Heishi said. "We should just shoot at it!"

"Idiot," Shitai said. "What if it kills us?"

"We got superheroes running around, they ain't killin' us yet. We got this covered. If anything we'll be getting rid of a threat."

"Good point. I say we fuckin' kill it."

"Grrr…" Shitai didn't disagree. "Okay. Get the flamethrower."

Heishi brought it out a flamethrower. He carried it most of the way through the base, taking particular delight in burning a group of technicians while they begged for their lives. He aimed it at the mass, which hadn't moved since the team came across it. Bubbles popped across the gross, white surface.

"What, is it going through puberty?"

The soldiers laughed at their stupid joke. Heishi turned flames turned on, readying the flamethrower.

"Hahaha, watch the torch man! Watch it burn!"

At the same time, Shiryō talked into the radio. After a few seconds, he had a response.

"What do you want?"

"Master Planner, Skull Squad reporting." Shiryō said. "We reached the mass you described. However, we don't have a clear idea what it is."

He heard a growl on the other side.

"Are you alright ma'am-?"

"Shut up, and don't ask. Right now, I don't care what you do, just dispose of that ghastly sight and kill any survivors you come across."

"I…" Shiryō sighed. "Understood."

He shut off the radio, turning back. Shiryō was in time to see the men activate the flamethrower.

"What are you doing-?!"

"Aaaaand FIRE!"

Fire erupted from the weapon, Heishi letting out a delighted grin-

SHPLOCK!

- As he felt something shot through his chest. He looked down to find a white tendril formed from the mass. His eyes glazed over as the other soldiers panicked.

"HOLY SHIT, WHAT WAS THAT, WHAT WAS- AAAAAAACK!"

Tendrils shot out and stabbed through the rest of the men. Shiryō could only look on in horror as Shitai's body was lifted into the air, his flesh seemingly being drained of color.

"SAVE ME, KIYANON! PLEASE, NOOOOOOOOO!"

Shitai's body crumpled into a husk, dropping to the floor in front of Shiryō. For his part, Shiryō was frozen at the sight of the mass rising.

It shifted, twisting and turning into something… horrible…

"… Spare me… please…"

Shiryō could only weakly say. The monster only grinned.

"No. You're a disease in need of purging."

Its jaws ripped open, and lunged at Shiryō…

Doctor Octopus did not like to be reminded of her mortality.

Everything she did, Doctor Octopus did avoid being hurt again. Pain was for mortals like Gendo, who let himself be defined by that monster of a wife. Naoko promised herself she would never let herself suffer like that again. A searing scar across her face would not slow her down, any more than the rest of that miserable fight did.

"Shit!" Doctor Octopus touched her face again. "How could this happen!? I had the power in my hands I should have- Ack!"

She shouldn't have listened to that girl. She should have finished Soryuu's daughter right then and there while she had the chance. Doctor Octopus would not make that same mistake again.

Her mechanical, amazing, beautiful baby arms, took her away from the battlefield and back to her little spider's nest. The background of the walls was as blue and cloudy as she left it, and her monitors were still intact. Nobody knew about this place, not yet.

Naoko made sure to repeat that, as she sat down on her chair. She pulled out a mirror from the desk, and inspected herself.

She crushed the mirror in her hand.

It was worse than she had imagined. Only her little green eyes, filled with envy and disgust, remained intact amid the burnt, melted disfigurement she had endured. She was filled with hatred and something else she refused to acknowledge. The worst part was how the scars hadn't healed. Not a single part of her face recovered from the blast, even though Naoko knew her powers should have accounted for that. She wouldn't have survived the little tech's direct fire.

"If I had to guess, shit!" She swore, her hand moving away from her face. "It had to be the girl… yes, her power is similar to mine…"

Scarlet Spider's poison blast, along with her own memory stealing power, had to come from somewhere. In the moment, Doctor Octopus realized both had to be tapping into a larger energy system within their bodies, ones that produced intense bio-electricity to stun enemies, or worse. With training, Scarlet Spider could learn how to steal memories and damage skulls the way Doctor Octopus had.

"Ooooh, I'm so torn! I would love to have her as an apprentice… but I also want her dead… Hate, hate, HATE her…"

None of that explained why her scars weren't healed by now. Was something preventing it?

Begrudgingly, Doctor Octopus admitted defeat. The girl was smart and powerful. Asuka took advantage of her arrogance and won the duel. Doctor Octopus couldn't afford to make the same mistake when it came to the original wall-crawler.

She turned back back to the camera monitors. She pressed a button.

"Skull Team, report."

Nothing. Doctor Octopus pressed the button again.

"Skull Team, report?"

Nothing again. Concern overcame her instincts.

Immediately, she activated the camera for that sector.

"What… the hell?!"

The sight was horrific. The whole crew lied dead, torn apart and worse. The white mass was no longer there, leaving only remnants behind. Whatever killed them was no longer in the sector…

Doctor Octopus inspected the monitors. She caught glimpses of a creature roaming the halls. Never a good enough look, but she knew he was there.

'The mass appeared just outside of Ikari's cell…' Naoko thought. '… Where I told Kaji would find Adam…'

For a moment, her fingers tapped a button. She could easily shut the doors to this room, leave herself guarded…

She shook her head..

"No. Let him come. I will see to his death, if I have to."

It never hurt to have insurance. She closed her eyes, hoping to get a glimpse into her future…

Only to let out a terrible shriek.

Her nose bled as she yelled, her eyes dilating. Naoko's tentacles went awry, smashing the floor in crazed anger. Even with the intakes of breath, Naoko couldn't calm down. Not when she realized something extremely alarming.

"I… I… I can't remember it… I can't see the future…"

Scarlet Spider! That girl's blast must have ruined her visions! She couldn't see anything!

"That stupid girl… SHE RUINED ME!"

She felt the ground shake. Doctor Octopus turned her attention to the outside.

Unit 02 was out and about. No cable. Fully berserk.

Doctor Octopus grinned. If she couldn't get her revenge directly, her children would have a good meal.

"My dear children… eliminate that pest!"

They were seven, and they were one.

Born for destruction, the joy of rebirth.

Death created them, and death would guide them.

They had feasted well, on machines in their image.

Another came to the surface. This one was free.

The seven licked their lips.

Food.

Their white wings and lances took them.

They would hand the machine the glory of

Death

and

Rebirth

Asuka Langley Soryuu woke up clutching her stomach.

Her hands only felt skin. No blood. No pain. She breathed, letting out a sigh. Bubbles formed around her nose and mouth. It was then that Asuka realized where she was.

"LCL…" She spoke to no one. "What the hell… I'm in an entry plug."

She looked down, seeing the Unit 02 insignia on her chair. She sighed.

"Mutter… you saved me again."

She remembered the battle with Doctor Octopus. It was the hardest she ever fought anyone, including the Sandgirl. At least she backed down. Doctor Octopus gave her a tough battle and….

Asuka tapped her stomach.

"Huh. Nice to see I came back from the dead."

"

You're welcome."

A familiar voice. Unwelcome, but not surprising. Asuka frowned.

"Thanks. My suit's ruined, by the way"

"I could not choose your death, liebling."

Asuka knew it, and that was the rub. Her mother was sorry. Asuka wasn't. She couldn't forgive her, actively scowled at the idea. She didn't want to be inside her mother's womb for much longer.

"Why did you pull me in?

"I wasn't able to stop Naoko. I could at least save your life. We both have a duty to fulfill now."

The view screen activated. Asuka recognized the walkways and the walls they were attached to, realizing what she meant.

"Right. We have to kill the Evas outside the base." She turned up to the ceiling. "You knew?"

"

Naoko threatened to kill me with them. She had already done it to the other Evas. The rest is from your mind."

"Right." Asuka took the controls. "I'm going to give you a warning. Don't read my mind. It's not yours. I'll blow you up if you do it again."

"

Fair enough. I am sorry."

Asuka ignored her. She surprised herself when the Eva responded to her commands naturally. 300% sync ratio. It was to be expected, given the circumstances.

"Huh. I always thought I needed the plugsuit."

"

Your costume and the plugsuits are made of the same material. They can connect just fine. With me, you won't need a cable either. You will run indefinitely."

"Okay. I'm heading out."

Unit 02's foot smashed a restraining bolt. The platform sent the Eva flying to the surface.

"

These creatures are monsters, Asuka. Are you sure you want to face them?"

"No. Fuck no." Asuka shook her head. "But I also don't want the world to end. I- we have too much at stake to let that happen. I won't Rei die to some monster."

"

… Very well. Neither of you will die today."

Asuka tuned her out. She didn't know if what they had would last past today, or the next month. She also knew that she wouldn't want to live in a world without her, or Ikari, Or Misato, or anyone else she knew. She would have to fight tooth and nail for it.

Bzzzzzt-

Her eyes widened. She forgot about the ear piece Dr. Akagi gave her. She pressed into it-

"I remember- ack- doing something like this back in sophomore year. Good times. Where did they all go?"

Kaji? Asuka continued to listen.

"They were over for a long time, Kaji."

"We'll get 'em back. After I'm done."

Why was he was here?

Present Moment…

Asuka heard everything from that point. Kaji's betrayal, why he did what he did, and how he planned to give her a happy ending.

What a joke.

After giving him a piece of her mind, she tuned out of that conversation, only hearing from Maya that Kaji was subdued. Asuka had someone more important to talk to.

"Rei?" She pleaded into the ear piece. "Are you there?"

"ASUKA!"

Her name, spoken with relief and excitement, soothed Asuka. She hated hurrying, but she had to tell the truth before the battle.

"Tell me you are alright! Where are you?!"

"I made it out alive. I'm in my Eva, and I'm going to fight the Mass Production Evas."

"On your own? But no one is going to help you!"

"I know, I'm sorry. I need you to get to Misato. You'll be safe there."

"But-"

"No buts." Asuka made a rueful smile. "I'm sorry, but I have to go now. I have some ugly monsters to slay."

"… I love you."

"I know."

Asuka took off the ear piece, and crushed it.

She didn't want to be tempted, didn't want to agonize over Rei, how she would feel about her being hurt. Right now, Asuka had to focus all of her attention onto the battlefield. Her first home. Hopefully, not her last.

The Evas' black cores almost hid within their white sheen. They licked their lips.

She heard of the Mass Production Evangelions long before this point. Ostensibly designed as support for the Evas, they were in fact drones created to carry out the Committee's version of instrumentality. They were predators, designed using Kaworu's brainwave patterns, not unlike the Dummy Plug system.

For Kaworu, she would destroy them.

The MP Evas turned to her. Asuka grinned.

"COME AND GET ME, ASSHOLES! I'LL SEND ALL OF YOU STRAIGHT TO HELL!"

They charged at her.

She fought Angels before. Most of them were obtuse, never finished off without help. The MP Evas, by comparison, were remarkably straightforward. One went to bite on her arm. Another went to bite her leg. Asuka grabbed the first one by the face, and smashed him against the other. It left her vulnerable to the third and fourth MP Evas readying their lances for the kill.

Asuka moved below, tearing holes into their stomachs as she tossed them into the ground. The fifth Eva managed to dig its teeth into her shoulder. The sixth grinned, pulling out a lance.

Instead of letting them have their way, Asuka pulled the fifth Eva in the range of the lance. The lance stabbed through that stomach, allowing Asuka ample opportunity to pull out her Progressive Knife. She stabbed it into the fifth Eva's neck, repeatedly, until it chocked on its own LCL spilling from the mouth.

Her spider-sense kicked in. Asuka swiped the knife across the first Eva, who shrieked in horror over being slashed. She tossed the fifth Eva onto the sixth, then rolled under the lunging seventh Eva in order to kick it to the third.

Putting the Progressive Knife away a second, Asuka grabbed one of the lances, and stabbed the head of an approaching MP Eva. It was the fourth Eva, who's body started spasming from the attack.

She pushed the lance a little extra harder into the monster, before Asuka picked up the Progressive Knife again and dodged an attack. The second Eva brought out its own lance. It waved it around like a maniac, desperately trying to kill its target. Asuka moved the knife to block the lance, dragging it along before stabbing it in the Eva's face. As it bled profusely, all it could do was let out a terrifying shriek before seemingly pass out in fright.

Asuka observed the landscape. She managed to take out five of them. The other two were panting, as if waiting for something. The fight wasn't over, but Asuka couldn't help but smile all the same.

Maybe she could do this.

"Is that all you got, assholes?! Come on, that wasn't even a decent fight!"

Asuka knew she had a habit of tempting fate. It was a bad habit, picked up from being an expert pilot. Usually, she had the skill to get out of the awful situation.

What she saw made her doubt that for the first time.

The Mass Productions Evas she just tore apart get back on their feet. The bleeding stopped, with the holes left by Asuka instantly healed. Lances stuck to the Evas, were ripped away without difficulty. All they did was grin.

"… Well, no one said it was going to be easy."

Of course. The monsters could regenerate. It would be way to easy otherwise. Of course, Evas and Angels have a weak point. There had to be a way to kill them.

It would be nice if she could find out before being torn apart, though…

"Asuka? Come in, Asuka!"

As the lights flickered around the hallway, Marie tried to talk into her earpiece. Nothing. She knew Asuka could be reckless, but to take on those Evas without back up…

She turned to Rei. Marie's face softened at her friend's blank stare. Sometimes, it was visible clear as day. Other times, the lights would dim, and her face would be wrapped in shadows. The darkness, only allowing Rei to be seen by the outlines of her edges, made her seem more ephemeral if that was possible.

Marie had seen this sort of reaction before. It was years ago, back when she, Asuka and Kaworu Nagisa trained in the same base.

Asuka was… Asuka, and Kaworu was a curiosity. Sometimes, Marie would spy on Kaworu from afar, watching his every move like a cat to a spider. Kaworu was an enigmatic figure, always smiling, dodging her questions, never looking back when she saw him. Yet, whenever he heard the Chairman came to get him, he would suddenly… freeze. As if a dark spell possessed him, before he meekly allowed himself to be escorted. Marie didn't fathom why that was. The Chairman seemed interested in him. At least he had a father looking after him, didn't he?

Life was more complicated than appearances, judging from the fact Kaworu was an Angel. There was much she didn't know, and would probably never know now that he was gone. Marie knew Rei, at least. Both reacted in a similar way, freezing in place, shunting away their true feelings. Marie supposed that was Rei's way of her emotions in check. What sort of hell must that be, to not be allowed to cry?

"… She's going to be alright, Rei." Marie told her honestly. "We thought she died before. Now, we know where she is. She'll fight tooth and nail, if only to reach you."

Rei nodded, causing Marie to curse herself. If only she had her own Eva. She could have helped fight those beasts. At least they had managed to move past the worst of the patrols, closing in their destination.

Of course, none of it soothed the ache Rei felt. Marie saw Rei touch her own lips, as if searching for a memory of Asuka's touch…

"…"

Perhaps that was the way through. "Back there, when Asuka left… was that your first kiss, Rei?"

"Huh?" Rei turned to her. "I'm sorry. I didn't listen."

"I asked if that was your first kiss, huh?"

"… No. We kissed before. One time, we tried it while she was upside down, on her web…"

The thought of it brought a red glow to Rei's cheeks.

"It was enchanting, Marie."

Marie smirked. "I bet it was. Heh, wonder if Shinji's going to use that some day."

"He will. I am sure of it…" Rei tilted her head. "Did you…?"

"Nope. Can't say I have." Marie shook her head. "Never had the time, you know? You're luckier than most people."

"If that is true… I don't feel so fortunate." Rei said. "Asuka will not die, I know that… But I cannot help but feel a great sorrow will show itself soon. I wish I could stop it, any way I can."

"With her at full power, I don't see a lot going wrong. It'll be a piece of cake for her, you can be sure of that!"

"…"

"Aha!"

They stumbled upon the elevator to Terminal Dogma. At last, hope! Marie pressed the button.

"In a few minutes, it should arrive." Marie smiled. "No more sneaking around for us!"

Rei did not share her enthusiasm. "… I wonder if, at the end of this road, it will be worth it…"

Hearing that caused Marie to turn her head. "Huh?"

"What if we win today… but tomorrow is lost to us…?"

Marie was about to respond-

"YOU! HANDS IN THE AIR!"

-When both teens turned around.

They found a hunched over man. He wore a battle suit- damaged, Marie could determine- painted black and red. He had a knife raised.

"You two… will be MY HOSTAGES!" He roared. "Spider-Man will pay for making a mockery out of me!"

"Oh… you must be the Vulture." Marie smirked. "Don't you know? We're friends of Spider-Man. We can easily take you down."

"W-What!?" Vulture panicked. "That isn't possible! He was the only prey!"

The Black Cat got into a fighting position, making sure Rei stayed behind her.

"Believe what you want, buddy. I've had experience with creeps like you. All talk, no bite."

At that, the Vulture grit his teeth. His fangs were stained red.

"No, my prey… you will learn not to mess with your better!"

"Then, by all means…" Black Cat's eyes narrowed. "Bring it!"

He brought out his knife, and lunged.

It was at that moment, however, the ceiling broke above the three. Whatever lights remained were destroyed in an instant, save for the only one above Marie and Rei's heads.

"What the hell?!"

"…"

"What is… AAAAAAAAAAGH!"

A white tendril wrapped around the Vulture's body. It dragged him backwards, bringing him to the dark.

"What the hell is this?! Come and get me you… no… no, no wait! My destiny was- was- AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

Marie and Rei stood in terror. First, they heard the man's screams. They were loud and forceful, a man losing himself. The screams faded soon after, replaced by sounds of slithering and slurping that made the teenagers shiver in fear. The darkness only served to increase their doubt, as they could not see what was happening and it did not stop.

In the end, the moment was finished off by an ugly, terrible crunch. Nothing slammed to the floor. Nothing could was heard from the darkness. Marie looked back. The elevator hadn't arrived yet.

"Okay…" Marie turned back to the shadows. "Show yourself! We're not in the mood for games!"

click. clack. click. clack.

For a full minute, the sound of footsteps was the only thing that echoed through the hallway. The creature walked towards the dimming light, his shadow shifting into focus.

"Hello, Rei."

Rei's body shivered at the all too familiar voice. Marie narrowed her eyes further.

Gendo Ikari, in many respects, was the same as he ever was. Distant. Calculating. Cold. Yet even Marie could tell something was off about the man. He wore a black shirt contrasted with a pure white jacket and pants, left unstained. His glasses were so dark no one could see his eyes, though Marie caught the presence of white eyeshadow under them. His right hand was free as a bird. His left was covered in a black glove. A wide grin etched to his face, as if this was the first time he was ever truly happy.

It all served to make him creepier. Marie almost wished the man went back to being a sheltered bastard, it was less terrifying than whatever he was doing now. Even his face was uncanny, thinner, more graceful, as if years had been shaven off of him. It made Gendo appear to be an older Shinji, rather than the former Commander of NERV.

"It's been a while."

Rei turned her face away from him. Marie kept her guard up.

"The former Commander himself. Do what do we owe the pleasure?"

"Hmph." Gendo adjusted his glasses. "This concerns me and Rei. You are irrelevang."

"She is." Rei said in a small voice. "I don't want to see you."

"I figured." Gendo said. "You're right to be wary, though the concern is unnecessary. I've had something of a change of heart while I was locked in my cell. A lot of thinking. I did… much wrong."

"No shit, Sherlock. You got anything new to add?"

Gendo ignored Black Cat. "In my quest to save my wife, I wound up hurting a lot of innocents, most especially my son. I intend to change that one way or another."

He took another step. Rei shrank away from his gaze.

"… What did you do to that man?"

"Oh? Him?" Gendo shrugged. "He was vermin. No one will miss him. The world needs protectors against rodents like him."

"Stop it!" Rei shouted. "You never protected anyone! Y- you are selfish and cruel! You stripped me, robbed me of my humanity! My brother is a protector, not you! Never you! I want you away from me, forever!"

Gendo paused himself. He then sighed, frowning.

"Of course. Nothing I say will ever make up for what I did to you… I should have treated you like my own flesh and blood, instead of a tool. I couldn't help but see Yui in you, so I kept you at arm's length, lied to you. For what it's worth, I'm sorry.

He adjusted his glasses, still staring at her furious glare.

"It's too late for such apologies, though. Right now, we do what needs to be done, Rei."

The elevator wasn't arriving fast enough, Marie thought. The man kept talking.

"I can't let you go. Not until I have stolen your Angelic essence/"

"NO!" Rei shouted. "Why would I do anything for you, murderer?! I am myself! The power inside me is not yours to have!"

He scoffed. "Of course you would say that. You are Yui's clone, after all. You share the same soul."

Marie was absolutely flabbergasted. "Are you nuts? Rei has never been evil, not like you!"

"I can see the greed in her eyes. It's the same as Yui's, by my design." Gendo said. "Once she has a solution, she'd stop at nothing to implement it, no matter the cost."

"Stay away from me, Ikari." Rei said firmly. "I will not be your doll anymore."

He shook his head, a smile forming again. The white suit began to crackle.

"Oh Rei… who said anything about dolls?"

The suit formed into a larger mass, absorbing Gendo's body. To Marie and Rei's shock, the mass became larger, towering over the two, almost reaching the ceiling. Sharp teeth and a long tongue emerged from its jaw, a black sider-symbol formed on the chest. Crimson eyes glowed with a hunger not even Venom had before.

His voice, distorted and deep, talked.

"Anti-Venom, at your service. We will save the world."

The monster unloaded it's tendrils at Rei. The elevator doors opened.

"NO!"

In the nick of time, the Black Cat pushed Rei into the elevator, blocking the attack. Rei screamed.

"MARIE!"

"Get going, Rei!" She shouted. "I'll deal with this palooza in no time!"

Before the tendrils dragged her away, Marie pressed the button to the lower basement. The doors rapidly shut in front of Rei.

"I will come back for you!"

Marie simply smiled. "No. You won't."

The doors closed. Rei could not see her anymore.

She felt the elevator slowly descend to the basement. Rei's body shook, collapsing to the floor.

Asuka… Marie… they sacrificed themselves for her sake, and she wouldn't know what would happen to them. She did what she wasn't able to do before.

Rei weeped. Her eyes began to form tears.

"I'm sorry, I am so, so sorry…"

She stared at the floor, allowing the tears to strike it. A new feeling began to form in her eyes. Resolution.

"… I will save everyone…"

Back in the hallway, Marie was dragged by the tendrils to the monster.

"I knew the Japanese were into tentacles, but I didn't expect you of all people to be into it! You're so repressed!"

Anti-Venom ignored her. "Silence, Vincennes. First, we'll drain your power. Then, we will go after Rei."

Marie spit on him. "Over my dead body!"

"We won't allow an innocent to die. Now be quiet…"

She could feel the tendrils sapping from her. It was a disgusting sensation, as if her body was nothing but a power vat for the monster. Anti-Venom kept its grin trained on her, watching her squirm.

"Yes, yes… this power is… is… ACK!"

Suddenly, Black Cat was dropped to the floor. Recovering fast, she looked at her arms. Her muscles were still there. Nothing was drained. She looked back at Anti-Venom, who was as confused as she was.

"What is this feeling… no… yes, we see it now. You aren't like us…"

"I could have told you that without the tentacles, thank you." Marie shook her head. "I hated symbiotes before it was cool."

"No, you are different somehow. Our power source come from the Angels… Shinji, Soryuu, even Naoko, they draw from Lilith… but your power… it's something we can't comprehend."

Immediately, Marie realized what he meant. She touched the amulet around her neck, and smiled.

"Ha!" Black Cat stuck out her tongue. "What are the odds you're fighting the one person in the base who's immune to your shtick?" She giggled. "You have outstandingly bad luck!"

"Indeed we do. That's what we get for crossing the Black Cat."

Anti-Venom raised his hand into the air, turning it a giant clawed hand. Marie stopped her laughter.

"We'll simply have to swat the cat out of the way."

She screamed. "EEK! BAD LUCK!"

He went to strike Black Cat with his clawed hand…

Only to step on a crack.

"Now I'll- AAAAAAAAAAAAAH-!"

The floor collapsed beneath his feet. He plummeted down, away from the Black Cat. She chuckled nervously.

"Oh right. I forgot I had bad luck powers for a second there."

She dusted herself, readying for a counterattack.

"Okay…" Marie pressed into her earpiece. "Hi guys. Shinji's dad has the symbiote now. Don't bother finding us, he's got a life draining trick that only I can bypass. Bye!"

After that, she jumped in after him.

"Hi guys. Shinji's dad has the symbiote now. Don't bother finding us, he's got a power and life draining trick that only I can bypass. Bye!"

Shinji Ikari, aka Spider-Man, was horrified. His partner, Mana Kirishima, was just as concerned. Both were closing in on a secret entrance, one that would allow them access to Doctor Octopus' base of operations.

"Marie, wait!" He pressed to his earpiece. "Don't fight him by yourself! I'll be right over!"

Shinji kept pressing into the earpiece, hoping to catch her before it was too late.

"Marie! Marie! She won't respond!" Mana thought she heard him curse under his breath, but couldn't hear it. "I can't just leave her alone."

"You heard what she said, though?" Mana asked. "Your dad has a draining ability! He could kill you, or strip of your powers when we need it right now!"

"I don't care, that bastard is going to kill her if we don't do something!"

He prepared to make his way backward, until Mana stepped in his way.

"Kirishima, please. Let me go."

"You heard what she said. She doesn't want your help."

"Mana." Shinji pleaded. "I can't let her fight him, not on her own. The Angel… it's dangerous."

"I've seen her in action, she's handled dangerous." Mana stood her ground. "Black Cat knows how to handle herself. You wouldn't be letting her die."

"She's strong, but Father has the Angel with him! He is going to hurt her or worse! I've never been able to beat that thing solo."

He thought of jumping over Mana and making a run for it. He didn't do it, if only because he thought Mana would have a counter for that plan.

"Even more reason for you not to go! You wouldn't be helping, you'd be more of a hindrance than anything."

"At least she wouldn't be on her own! Not against Father!"

"I know, I know. But she's protected by her bad luck powers. You're not! We need you here, where you can do the most to help."

"But-"

"No buts! You stay the course." Mana frowned. "If you want, I'll head down to help her."

Spider-Man considered the offer for a moment. Placing a hand into her belt, Mana was certain he would do something, maybe flip her over or web her to the wall in order to get her out of the way. Instead, after shaking his head, he nodded.

"Okay. We'll do it your way."

Mana smiled. She removed her hand from the belt, placing it on his shoulder.

"Good! I'll be back with you in no time."

She turned around, only for a second-

THWIP!

Only to wind up with her left hand webbed to the wall. Spider-Man walked past her.

"Hey, what the heck?!"

"It'll dissolve in an hour. No one's coming around here." He said. "Toodles!"

He began to sprint toward an exit. Shinji was content with how he handled the situation. A small headache began to emerge.

"Ow, I haven't had a headache like that since…" He quickly realized. "Wait, could that could be my spider- YEOWCH!"

Suddenly, he found himself paralyzed from the shoulders down. He dropped to the floor instantly, shaking his arms and legs. Mana smirked, removing a pocket knife from her belt.

"I saved myself from Electro, didn't I?" She said, cutting the webs around her left hand. "I knew I needed a back-up in case in case you did… well, what you just did."

Spider-Man looked back at her. "Cheater."

"Not cheating. Winning." Mana took back a small device from Spider-Man's shoulder. "The buzz-killer. Sends a paralysis shock to the system. Usually it leaves someone knocked out for about an hour, but knowing your increased metabolism, it'll only take a few minutes tops. I better be hurrying."

She made a move to run, but Spider-Man called to her.

"Wait!" It was a soft yell. "Please… Protect her…"

Mana nodded. "She saved my life not too long ago, it'd be unfair if I didn't repay that somehow."

"… He has two weaknesses."

She raised her eyebrow.

"Fire and sonic weaponry." Shinji explained. "Downstairs, there's a lab that has a sonic gun. If you can get that, you might be able to stop my Father."

"Right." Mana nodded. "You fight Doc Ock, I'll save your friend. See you later!"

She ran further into the hallway, away from Spider-Man. As she did so, however, she couldn't help but yell-

"Hey, we still friends after this?"

"Yeah!"

"Thanks!"

"Hi guys. Shinji's dad has the symbiote now. Don't bother finding us, he's got a power and life draining trick that only I can bypass. Bye!"

As if Ritsuko Akagi didn't suffer enough.

The year had not been kind to the doctor. She had to see her mother become a dangerous terrorist, the world was invaded by aliens beyond their incomprehension, and she was nearly killed by her ex-friend. Her former boss and lover now being a giant blob monster made Ritsuko want to drink. Maybe Misato would be willing to share the tab.

Now, it hadn't been all terrible. Three of the pilots became superheroes, with one of them owning a magic amulet (something Ritsuko REALLY wanted to study asap), and Maya was somehow kind enough to love her monstrous self. Truly, life was nothing but blessings and curses wrapped in one. Ritsuko hoped to survive the day, maybe find an apartment for herself and Maya. If she was so lucky, anyway.

Right now, none of them were lucky. For example, she was stuck with the task of caring for Ryoji Kaji, aka the Chameleon.

While she had some training as a medical doctor, it wasn't her area of expertise. The fact Kaji was under her care had more to do with desperation than anything else. Removing the bullets from his chest was not an option at this time, so Ritsuko was careful to avoid adding pressure on the wounds. She needed to keep him alive until they could get to a real doctor.

Ritsuko looked to her right. Makoto's injury wasn't quite so severe. All he needed was proper bandaging across the head. He kept guard over the box Kaji brought, pointedly glancing occasionally to give a no-so-subtle glare toward Kaji. She couldn't help but do the same. After all, he did try to kill them both.

She never forgot how he tried to kill Maya.

"You hate me, don't you?"

Ritsuko didn't respond. She kept to her work.

"It's okay to admit it. I hate you just as much. Saving little ol' me isn't gonna be enough to change my mind."

"…"

"Silent treatment. Okay, I can work with that. Do you mind if I asked you a question?"

"…"

"Was it all a lie, back in college? We had wild times together. For a little bit, I think I might have loved you."

"…"

"Where did it all go wrong? Did you betray us back then or was it as soon as you met the Commander- OW!"

Ritsuko placed a hot towel on one of the wounds. Kaji seethed in pain.

"You did that on purpose."

She didn't respond. He smiled.

"Touched a nerve, didn't I? Were you and Gendo so… wild in bed?"

She glared at him.

"He looked past me, whenever we were together. He didn't see me. I don't think he even saw Mother. He wanted someone else… and he hurt me when I couldn't be her. I thought I loved him when I was barely out of my teens. In the end, I was just fooling myself. Just like Mother."

Surprisingly, that gave Kaji pause. He was startled by such a frank admission, before returning to his anger.

"You went along with everything he did. You're not innocent. You would have left me to die if it pleased him."

"Yes., and I would have been wrong to do that to one of my friends. I don't care if you hate me, Kaji, but I don't hate you. I never did, not for a second. It's because of what we had that I won't let you die. I didn't ask Maya to shoot you, and Misato didn't order me to do this. I am choosing to help you for myself. I never wanted to see you get hurt because of me."

Kaji glanced to the side. Ritsuko couldn't read his face. Was it shame he felt? Did he even believe her? Whatever he thought, she didn't care. She removed the towel, placing a bandage to the side.

"Don't move too much. We need to get you proper medical attention, but none are around right now."

He kept his face away from hers. "Whatever."

The elevator doors opened. For a second, Ritsuko was briefly taken aback, wondering if they had been found out. However, she soon smiled upon seeing who arrived.

"You made it, Ayanami."

"That I did." Rei said. She rubbed her eyes, trying to get the least tears from her face. She then turned her head to see the body next to Ritsuko. "Kaji."

Kaji shrugged. Rei ignored him, looking at the box Makoto was guarding.

"That is Adam, is it not?"

Makoto nodded. "Yeap. Kaji managed to grab Adam and trap him inside the little box. He wouldn't answer where and how he got it."

Rei glanced at Kaji. He smirked at her.

"I see…" She turned to Ritsuko. "Did you hear what Marie said?"

"We all did. Just our luck." Ritsuko sighed. "As if we didn't have enough problems. Talk to Misato. She probably knows what to do."

Rei went over to the room ahead. She saw Misato and Maya working at one of the computers. Maya was speaking.

"The virus is 90% on the way. Wait a few more minutes, then Doctor Octopus'll be finished."

"Not yet." Misato said. "Nothing we do here will matter if she isn't stopped. I just hope Shinji and Asuka will be able to… to…"

She hesitated, shaking her head. She didn't want to think of Shinji, broken at her feet. She did not want to think of Asuka, bleeding and dying alone on the battlefield. Never has she been more afraid for her wards, for her children, than now. Misato knew she had to face their possible deaths one day, but she hoped it wouldn't be so soon…

"Hey…" Maya said. "… I'm rooting for them too."

Misato would have lashed out, but stopped herself. She remembered who she was talking to now.

"Right. You helped Asuka when I couldn't. You're probably as scared as I am, no?"

"Yes. I want her to be as safe as anyone else in my life." Maya said. "We can't do much now, though. We have to put our trust in the children."

"I concur with that."

Misato sharply turned, smiling in relief when she saw Rei.

"You made it!"

At least she could help this girl. Misato looked over the girl, brushing aside her hair, and putting hands on her shoulders. She inspected Rei's face, noticing the dried tears around her eyes.

"How are you, Rei? Did he…?"

Rei's face fell. "He did nothing to me. I am more worried about Vincennes… Marie has never faced such a test."

"I'm… sure she'll live." Misato frowned. "She knows about the sonic weapons and the flamethrowers. She'll pull victory out of her butt somehow. She beat Shinji twice."

"I have faith in her." Rei's face fell. "I wish I wasn't so… useless… Everyone is sacrificing themselves for my sake… I am not worth that sort of ache."

Misato gripped Rei just a little bit harder than she had to.

"Don't talk about yourself that way. You're not useless, Rei. Everyone here helped because they cared, and would do it again. Right now, we're keeping each other safe. That's what matters."

Rei nodded. She thought of her brother, Asuka and Marie, how they braved the odds even when they were afraid. She admired them for it. She already repaid the debt when she saved them from the final Angel, but there had to be more she could do…

"Oh no! We're fucked!"

The swearing tipped them off that something was wrong. Misato turned her head around.

"Maya?"

"The upload failed!" Maya shouted. "It's triggering an alarm to the MAGI!"

Misato's eyes widened. She realized what that meant.

"They're going to learn our location!"

The error icon flashed over the screen. Doctor Octopus couldn't help but smirk.

"Stupid, stupid, stupid. That's what these idiots are."

They really thought they could sneak in a virus like that through the most advanced computer system in the world? Even with her daughter's help, they were doomed from the start. Her precious MAGI caught the virus in its tracks, with CASPAR taking particular delight in ripping it apart.

BALTHASAR tracked its source code to Terminal Dogma. MELCHIOR detected a subtle blue pattern emerging from the room. Doctor Octopus surmised that Kaji had retrieved Adam, and was in the room with the other pests.

"Either he's been incapacitated, killed, or turned against me earlier than expected. Regardless, I can't risk it."

She pressed a button on the console.

"All teams. Terminal Dogma has some unwanted intruders. Kill them, and retrieve a metal box in the room. Deliver it to me at once."

She smiled upon hearing a chorus of sirs and ma'am readying their ultimate slaughter.

"I'm trying everything, but the alarm won't shut off!"

Maya typed as fast as she could, but the damage had been done. Misato realized the grim situation they were locked into, too late to form a way out of the basement. She grabbed her gun from the table, reloading the bullets little by little. Rei looked by, concerned.

"What do we do, Misato?"

Misato cocked the pistol.

"Fight. Then hope." She looked back at Maya. "Tell me you have a back up plan."

"I do… but…" Maya frowned. "You're not going to like it."

"It can't be any worse than what we tried. Shoot."

Nervous, Maya bit her thumb. She didn't taste iron in her lips yet.

"… I'm thinking… If we can't send the virus directly, we'll need to find another way… I can't just split my attention between that and-"

Her eyes widened.

"Split…"

Rapidly, Maya typed into the computer. Misato didn't understand what Maya had done. She went to ask.

"Maya, what are you doing? If you have a plan, let us know."

Maya turned her chair around, facing Misato.

"I've divided the virus in smaller chunks and sent it to the other MAGI systems across Japan. I wrote up a set of instructions on how to reassemble the pieces. If the message is received, the people running the computers should be able upload the chunks toward our MAGI in time."

Misato frowned. "What's the catch?"

"It's going to take an hour, at bare minimum, to finish the process."

Maya looked away.

"And… It'll depend on anyone having the courage… or still being alive…"

Misato grimaced. "We'll have to hold out for that long, then?"

At Maya's nod, Misato cursed under her breath. She pressed her earpiece.

"Shinji, you need to hold off Doctor Octopus for an hour, until the virus can be uploaded. We're going to be swarmed with enemies soon. Did you get that?"

"Misato, I need to head down there-"

"No. That's an order." Misato said to him. "You're going to beat Doctor Octopus. If you don't, everyone in Japan will die. We'll do our best here, but right now it's your responsibility to defeat her. You mustn't run away from that, or yourself."

"… You are cruel, Misato…"

"I know." Misato touched the spot where her necklace would be. "Take care of yourself, Shinji. With any luck we'll see each other again."

Shutting off the comm, Misato turned back to Rei.

"Hide. We're going to get company soon."

My name is Maya ibuki. NERV has been invaded by Doctor Octopus, and we need your help. A set of files has been sent to the MAGI systems around Japan. I ask you now, please unlock these files and reassemble the code. Together, they form a virus that will cut off Doctor Octopus' connection to the MAGI, and prevent further tragedy. If anyone is out there, please help!

The message appeared on the Kokoro MAGI computer screen, along with data packets on the virus files and instructions on how to assemble it.

Naturally, The workers were skeptical of the message.

"Is this real?

"I don't know. What if it's another scheme from the doc…?"

"Bullshit! Bullshit is what this is!"

"If it's true, will it even work?"

"I don't know…"

Moya Kitagawa said nothing. He wasn't sure himself if this was a trick or not, and he didn't want to hurt anyone making another mistake. He was paralyzed with indecision, wondering what could be done.

"This is so complicated. What should I do…?" Moya turned to his left. "Daiki?"

His partner, Hirano Daiki, had already made up his mind. He stood on top of a pillar, and began yelling at the crowd.

"Are you all a bunch of cowards?!" Daiki yelled. "We're all gonna die one way or another! Let's get this show on the road!"

"Speak for yourself, asshole!" One of the workers spoke up. "We don't even got a complete MAGI! What good are we gonna do?!"

"Better than sitting on your asses and letting the world bleed!" Daiki shouted at him. "At least we won't be sittin' around doing nothing! We're gonna fight, SO MOVE IT! LET'S GET THIS SHIT UP AND RUNNING AGAIN!"

In moments, they accepted his call to action. They began to work, bringing in equipment to fix the MAGI at an alarmingly fast rate. Even Moya was impressed.

"I didn't know you had that in you, Daiki."

Daiki scoffed. "I don't wanna die. No psychopathic bitch is gonna determine my destiny."

Asuka hated many things.

She hated idiots. She hated losing. She hated NERV for robbing her of a childhood. On the top of the list was being condescended to. It was one of her biggest no-no's, and she would hit you for even suggesting an idea she didn't already know.

Her Mother didn't quite get the memo.

"You won't hold out much longer if you can't isolate their weakness."

"Duly noted, Mother." Asuka rolled her eyes. "Could you try being useful for a change?"

On the plus side, it was proof her mother kept her word about not peering into her mind. Parents not understanding their children was an age long tradition since the first mammal was born. No wonder children often rebelled.

Anecdote out of the way. Asuka turned her attention back to the battlefield.

The Evas were on the full offense. All raised their lances at her, ready to stab their meal.

Asuka had to deftly maneuver past the lances. She jumped atop the second Eva, smashing her foot stop its head to propel herself towards another Eva. She rolled on top of that Eva, pulling out the Progressive Knife to slash its neck, before being pulled away by the sixth Eva.

It tried to bite her neck, but Asuka grabbed its lips, knocking the sixth Eva into a nearby lake. As the waves pushed into the mainland, Asuka's spider-sense detected another danger, and she stabbed the incoming seventh Eva in the head.

As she did so, Asuka coughed blood. She felt two lances stab into her stomach, turning to see the fourth and fifth Evas grinned at her.

"They just won't fucking quit!"

She grabbed the lances with her hands and crushed them.

Even the Evas were surprised by that, as they didn't move out of the way of Asuka's hands tearing into their stomachs. She slammed their bodies to the floor, and moved out of the way of another parry from an Eva.

"They're regenerating, Asuka! We need to rethink our strategy."

Much as she tried to ignore her, Asuka knew her mother had a point.

Already, they were recovering from their wounds. They got up from the ground and licked their lips again. They were on her, again.

"At least the Angels had the decency to stay down." Asuka muttered to herself. "These things never give up… they're like humans that way."

She didn't know what to make of that comparison one way or another.

Asuka found herself overwhelmed. Four of them bared their fangs and sunk them into her arms and shoulders. The other three were itching to slice her open with the lances. It took most of Asuka's concentration not to feel the bites. For once, she wished she didn't have such a high sync ratio with her Eva.

"These dolls keep getting worse!" Asuka grit her teeth, trying to stab one of the Evas with her Progressive Knife. "They're on top of me!"

As they munched through the armor, Asuka saw one of the other Evas lunge with a lance. She had once chance…

She moved her arms so one of the Evas- the fourth one if she remembered- was stabbed by the lance. It freed her arm, long enough to grab the fifth Eva and crush its neck. Her hand was covered with LCL, as she rolled out of the way of the seventh Eva's own lunge attack, conveniently removing the other Evas off her Unit 02.

The Progressive Knife still in hand, Asuka kept it raised to her eye-level. She watched the Evas scheme to themselves, plotting their ways to end her.

They sneered at her. Brothers-in-arms grinned with cruel malice. The fifth Eva snapped its neck back into place, the bleeding not even stopping the giant. Their black cores shined with the sun's powerful rays, completing their aesthetic.

Their lack of eyes only served to make them more uncanny to Asuka. She regretted her earlier remark about dolls. At least they had buttoned eyes meant to resemble humans. These creatures are more inhuman.

Asuka wondered about one thing: if they were made from Kaworu's brainwave patterns, did he ever possess this sort of anger inside of him?

Given what she knew about the Committee, maybe he did have it worse than her.

"All the more reason to kill them."

The Evas marched toward her with precise intent. Each step they took was slow and silent. They waited to see what their shared meal would do. They were facsimiles of the true Eva, and yet they were proud of tearing apart their superior.

They were seven, and she was one.

She would die soon.

"What are they waiting for…" Asuka licked her lips, trying to regain some sense of self. "Are they waiting for me to drop my guard?"

"…"

"What are they doing?"

"… Asuka… if I may?"

Asuka's gripped the controls a little harder than she had to. "What do you want, Mutter?"

"It's just that… do you see the black cores on their chests?"

For a second, Asuka took a glance to see them.

Sure enough, they were there. They were hard to spot, barely sticking out of their chests, but the cores were present in the Evas.

"Are you saying those might be a weak point?"

"It'd be foolish not to investigate."

Asuka waved the Progressive Knife over the faces of the Evas. They seemed entranced by what she was doing, almost panting in anticipation.

"I am at your command, Asuka. As I always have been."

"… I know."

Asuka kicked the ground, sending chunks of the terrain towards the offending Evas.

It was a momentary distraction- not a good one either- but the group became disorganized. They separated, each with the intent to kill Asuka. Instead, she forced her Eva to bounce off the ground.

The first Eva salivated over its prey making the jump on it It opened its mouth-

-only for Asuka to stab the core with the knife.

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

It cracked upon impact.

"… What?"

The words, spoken in a soft voice, only punctuated the sense of doom she felt.

Her knife was gone. The Evas were closing in.

The Black Cat had about enough of Angels, aliens and symbiotes.

She wanted to fight Spider-Man, maybe flirt with him a bit. Nice. Then Asuka turned out be a wacko beating the shit out of people because of alien goopy slop. Bad. Then that goop took control of her friend and nearly killed her and Asuka several times. Worse. When she finally thought they got rid of it, of course it happened to possess on the absolute worst person in the base for it.

All in all, Black Cat hated Gendo Ikari and Anti-Venom with a passion.

He didn't even bother going with a new design. It was just an inverted Venom, which frankly made him look like a cheap Hong Kong knock off of the real thing, except no, those were made with care and respect for the customer. The red eyes over black lenses were no substitute for pure, white lenses.

As a fan of fictional creatures of the night, the Black Cat was sorely disappointed.

"Big, strong, silent. Doesn't it get boring?" Black Cat said, sticking out her tongue. "Bleh, at least Spider-Man told jokes!"

Anti-Venom roared at her. He summoned tendrils to strike at Black Cat, who swiftly dodged. Her training with the other heroes finally paid off, watching the monster growl in frustration.

"I wasn't much of a people person, until now." Gendo's voice came garbled from the suit. "Nowadays, we think Soylent Green had it right."

Black Cat made a disgusted noise, picking up some debris to throw at Anti-Venom.

"What's more disturbing? You telling jokes, confirming you eat people, or that you know the reference?"

Anti-Venom caught the debris with his teeth. He bit into it, crushing the debris to pieces.

"I'm old. You should know that already, Miss Vincennes."

He marched toward her, his hand shifting into an axe.

"The youth don't understand how lucky they have it. You've never suffered a man with an axe to grind!"

He shoved the axe right where Black Cat was. She dashed out of the way, ducking under Anti-Venom to move away from him.

"Come on, that wasn't even funny!"

"We're practicing! We face a tough crowd today."

Black Cat felt the tendrils surrounding her feet. She was then picked up and slammed into the ceiling, her body going into shock as she smashed the lights out. Then, she was thrown back to the floor.

"But you won't have to worry about that, anymore."

She felt the tendrils pull her back. Black Cat looked behind, only to find Anti-Venom forming a net with his hands.

"We're taking you to the veterinarian, to be de-clawed! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

Marie rolled her eyes. "I can tell you're having way too much fun with this! Anyway, I'm gonna put a no on that."

She slashed the tendrils with her clawed fingers, rolling back to a standing position.

"Put 'em up, partner! I'm not letting you anywhere near Rei, not if I can help it!"

At that, Anti-Venom growled. "You have no idea what you're defending, girl."

"A friend, a girl, I'd say girlfriend but she's already taken." Marie smirked. "When was the last time you were with a woman? I mean your age, not twenty years younger."

"2004." Anti-Venom git his teeth. "Do you not see the threat Rei poses? What she could do if she ran free?"

"Does she have an alien symbiote attached to her right now? No? Then I don't wanna hear it."

Both of Anti-Venom's arms turned into knives. He charged at her, aiming to slice her to pieces. Black Cat instead, dodged one of them, while shoving the other into a wall. She kicked his head, flipping backwards to land on her feet.

"She has the blood of Lilith flowing through her." Anti-Venom ripped away the knife arm, destroying the wall in the process. "If she possesses Adam, she will cause Third Impact."

More tendrils emerged. In the process of dodging them, one slice Marie's side.

"Ack! A likely story." She glared at Anti-Venom. "Rei wouldn't endanger the world out of a selfish whim. That's more of a you thing."

She then jumped up to his face, slashing his eyes with precision. He clutched them, his body tearing and rippling as the Black Cat ran.

"GAH! YOU'RE A FOOL!" He growled more. "SHE WOULD CAUSED THIRD IMPACT IF SHE BELIEVED IT WAS NECESSARY! IT IS IN HER BLOOD!"

When he regained his eyesight, Gendo realized Black Cat had left. He scowled, roaring at the empty hallway. She thought she was so clever, wasn't she? Unfortunately for her, his senses were enhanced by the Angel. He sniffed the air, picking up a rich scented aroma.

"DON'T THINK YOU'RE FLEEING SO EASILY!"

He began to stomp the ground, rustling his feet across the surface, before speeding toward the wall.

He smashed through the wall. Several layers of concrete and metal were laid to waste, Anti-Venom not stopping for a thing. His mass powered through the walls, until he finally came across a lone cat running toward a laboratory.

"Where do you think YOU'RE going, Vincennes?"

Black Cat turned back. "Aw, crapbaskets."

He lunged at her, knocking both to the ground with him on top of her. He kept his tongue to himself, letting his grin strike fear to the girl.

"I smell your fear! You see us everywhere, even in your nightmares!"

Shaking under his grip, the Black Cat couldn't use her arms to escape. She glanced below the waist for a second.

"You have no place here. You're just a worthless girl, fighting for a doll who will sacrifice you for her scenario! You lost two families. Not ready to lose another?"

Marie grit her teeth. Her eyes narrowed.

"Tell me something I don't know, idiot!"

She slammed her foot into the monster's crotch.

He let out a howl, not expecting such a cheap shot.

"GRRAAAAAA, YOU- YOU- !"

It kept his hands off of hers, so she took advantage to kick Anti-Venom away from her. Marie growled at him.

"I don't know how it happened, or why. Somehow, I found my way here, defending these people from the likes of you. I'll thank whoever's up there for that. What exactly are you, though?"

Anti-Venom clutched his head. He tried to punch Marie, only for dodge that, and claw his chest.

"Grah!"

"You're an irrelevant old man!" Marie yelled. "Doctor Octopus took over the base! Spider-Man's gonna stop her! What are you? Just a minor bump the road, not even worth remembering!"

"NO! I WILL SAVE THE WORLD!"

He swung his hands around, but Marie clawed at them. She clawed at his arms and legs, clawed his chin, going behind his back and slashing that too.

"We're saving the world. You're ruining it."

Anti-Venom growled again. "Untrue. We are here to protect innocents-"

He finally grabbed the girl by the neck, choking her as she was raised to his level.

"- which is why we won't kill you. You're but a pawn in Rei's game. However, we cannot let you go. Not yet."

He crushed her neck. Not too much, just enough to cause Marie to start losing air.

"You… you won't kill Rei…"

"If she dies, the world is saved." Anti-Venom shook his head. "Unfortunate, but true. Many innocents will be spared. Hush now… you will live…"

Marie thought she heard the sound of footsteps coming. She pretended not to hear them.

"What about… ack… what about Doc Ock? You gonna… eat her or something…?"

Anti-Venom frowned.

"We will kill her. Then, we will strip our son and the Second Child of their powers. I will ensure the safety of the world, as its protector."

click

"Good thing you won't be."

A blast came from behind. The weapon's harsh frequency threw Anti-Venom into a frenzy, letting out a horrifying shriekin frightened pain. His whole being shook wildly, forcing him to drop Marie in his wild panic.

"Y-YOU?! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH-!"

Mana Kirishima kept eyes trained on Anti-Venom. The suit ripped apart, revealing the man underneath.

"I'm going to need you to back away from the girl. Now."

He held his head as he marched away, howling the entire time. He stood below a set of sprinklers, trying to hold himself together.

"You are hurting us! You won't separate us! NEVER!"

The suit was tearing from Gendo, who sank his legs to the floor. He gasped for air, one of his hands bleeding out. Even Marie was shocked.

"Usually that'd be enough to rip the two apart but…"

Mana held no mercy. She kept firing the sonic gun at Anti-Venom, not letting an inch as he continued screaming.

"You're not going to hurt anyone ever again."

Even with sonic waves focused on it, the symbiote never left its host. Gendo kneeled, bleeding to death in that hallway while the alien stubbornly clung on to him.

"Why isn't it leaving? Doesn't it care about its own survival…?" Marie's eyes widened. "Unless… it isn't…"

Before she could make anything of this revelation, the sprinklers suddenly activated. Spurts of Bakelite formed on top of the monster, covering Anti-Venom in a thick crimson wall that locked him in place. Only when he was covered from torso to toe did Mana shut off the sonic gun. In that moment, only Gendo's head stuck out from the Bakelite wall.

"Grrrrr… ugghhh…" Gendo whimpered. He turned his head toward the duo. "You are making… a mistake…"

Glaring at him, Mana slammed the butt of her gun to his head. He was knocked out for sure.

"Shut up."

After that, she took a good look at Marie. Mana frowned at the state.

"Sorry I didn't make it sooner. I had trouble finding the sonic gun."

Marie shook her head, stretching her hand out. "No biggie. I'm just glad you saved my bacon before I got fried."

Mana smiled. She dropped the gun, and took Marie's hand. The two shook it out, an understanding forming between them.

"How's Spidey doing?"

"He was worried about you. I convinced him I could help you out on my own."

"That he did." Marie pressed into the earpiece. "See, Spider? We totally had it handled."

"I guess you did… sorry for not trusting you enough."

"Eh, it's cool. Be on your way to Doc Ock. We'll mop up everything from here."

"… Good luck you two… I'm going to believe in the rest of you from here on out… I'll see you later, hopefully…"

His voice died out on the comm. With the threat over, Marie decided to ask Mana something that bugged her.

"So… how did you know that the Bakelite would cover him?"

Mana frowned. "I didn't. It just did that by itself."

"No. I activated it soon after you walked him right into place."

Doctor Octopus' voice came from the intercom. At that moment, soldiers swarmed the hallway, training their guns on Mana and Marie, both trapped by the Bakelite wall behind them.

"You did a good job eliminating the second greatest threat to my plans. I didn't need someone who could siphon my powers on my watch. However, now you both have to die! Eliminate these pests."

The duo heard the clicks of guns. Marie was covered in cold sweat.

"Looks like we're all out of luck."

They heard the hum of the elevator before it even reached.

"Here they come…"

Misato prepped her gun, just as Makoto grabbed his own. Ritsuko had already dragged Kaji to the computer room, with Rei being tasked with watching over him and the box.

Maya was… hesitant.

"Fuck…" Maya cursed, her hands shaking while holding a gun. "I shot someone twice and yet…"

Ritsuko put a hand on her shoulder. "We don't have much time. If we want to survive, you're going to have to find a way to live with yourself."

"… Was it easy for you…?"

"… No."

An honest answer. It did little to reassure Maya, something that Ritsuko noted. She moved her hand from the shoulder to wrap her fingers around Maya's own.

"Why don't you go hang back with Rei? Give me the gun."

"I would. But…" Maya frowned. "What about you? Won't you get killed?"

"I know for sure you will." Ritsuko hated the fearful look Maya. She sighed. "You're not a killer, Maya. There's no shame in backing out. I'll get us out of here."

At first, Maya was reluctant, eyes darting back and forth trying to figure out what to do. Then, with a still shaking hand, she handed the gun to Ritsuko.

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be." Ritsuko smiled. "We'll live."

She gave a peck to Maya's forehead. Maya smiled, before rushing ever so slowly to the other side. Misato took the scene in stride, thankful that at least she would be safe.

"This is probably going to be our last stand." Misato told them. "Anyone want to say a word?"

"I…" Makoto started. He shook his head, thinking better of it. "No. There's no place I'd rather be than with you."

She knew exactly what he meant by that. Misato gave him a rueful, bittersweet smile.

"Thank you for being here. I'm sorry."

The felt the ground shake slightly. The elevator had arrived.

"On three…"

They opened. A group of six pointed their weapons.

"FIRE ON ALL OF THEM! LEAVE NO ONE ALIVE"

Misato fired first.

She managed to get the first kill, shooting the leader in the head. The rest were whipped up into a frenzy, firing anywhere they could. It left them vulnerable to attack. Makoto fired his own shots. He landed some hits on the sides, or the arms, but none were fatal. Ritsuko was the most precise, killing two soldiers in a row.

In the end, six became zero.

"Reload!" Misato yelled. "There'll be more coming soon!"

The best part of the basement- the reason Misato felt comfortable picking it out- was that the only way in or out was through the elevator. Even if the army found out where they were, they needed to send small teams in order to get there. Easy pickings for her team.

A few minutes later, the elevator came and went. Another team arrived.

"Fire!"

Another six. Ritsuko managed to cap off three this time. Misato shot two in the knees, knocking them down to the ground, preventing them from escaping. Makoto had one, but he made it count with a head shot.

A pile began to form. The next team had trouble walking through it.

The waves almost became routine. Sometimes, Misato killed the majority. Sometimes it was Ritsuko. Makoto became a quick distant third. The soldiers kept piling up, creating a trap for the next wave. Soon, they couldn't get in at all.

By the sixth wave, they got slightly creative.

They threw a bomb in first. It disoriented the three for a minute- in addition, clearing the bodies lined up in the path- but aside from some bruising, they continued the assault.

The leader of that group made a threat to kill their families. Ritsuko made an extra vicious shot toward a certain area…

After that, she was more relentless than ever before. Almost the instant the teams poured in, Ritsuko would aim for heads. Failing that, she would risk her safety to take lethal shots to the shoulder or the stomach. Her resolve was so fierce, even Misato was worried about how far her friend was going to kill the soldiers. She worried that, at some point, Ritsuko might pay for her fury.

Her fears would prove founded during the ninth wave.

Ritsuko dropped her cover. She grit her teeth, firing on the other team of six. They all blurred in her mind.

"Die!" She shouted. "We're not dying to you! We're not-"

Suddenly, a stray bullet shot Ritsuko through the arm. Misato panicked.

"RITSUKO!"

She couldn't help, being trapped taking cover from enemy fire. Ritsuko dropped to the floor, a larger man holding his rifle to her head.

"Doc Ock laid out a special order for you! If you say sorry to her, she might let you live for the new world! Whadda ya say?"

Ritsuko glared at the man. "Over my dead body."

"Hahaha. Spirit! Love it." He laughed. "Unfortunately, ye should have picked ya words better…"

His fingers pressed the trigger.

"Sayonara-"

A shot rang out.

The soldier fell back, not even realizing he died. Ritsuko turned around to see her savior.

"… Kaji?"

The man was exhausted. It took all of his effort just to stand, his bandages bleeding while she said his name. Even so, Kaji couldn't help but smirk at her surprised face.

"Not too bad, eh Ritsu-poo?"

The relief was short lived. He soon after, he felt a shot to the shoulder.

"GAH!"

More soldiers poured in. Kaji tried to aim the gun at them, but it shook.

"… Guess it's too late for sorries…"

They fired on him. He fell backwards. Misato glanced back, realizing who it was.

"Kaji… NO! KAJI!"

A bullet grazed her shoulder. Misato didn't even have time to mourn. Failing that, she fired at the soldiers, letting tears form around her eyes.

Taking a brief intermission, Ritsuko checked Kaji's pulse. His unique infrastructure must have saved his life, because she still felt her breathing. If he wasn't dead, he would be soon. More soldiers burst in.

She realized, ever so slowly, that she might not be able to keep her promise to Maya…

It wasn't her plan, but she had to admit, events have certainly lined up to her benefit.

Terminal Dogma would be raided fully, everyone inside dead. The soldiers had Black Cat and that redhead surrounded. Asuka was tiring, making clumsy mistakes fighting off the Evangelions.

In the end, there was only one person she was waiting for. She grinned.

"A miracle won't stop me." Doctor Octopus said. "Even if he beats me, he'll have nothing to look forward to. It'll be for nothing."

She glanced at another monitor. Satellite cameras revealed the Lance of Longinus trapped on the moon. The one weapon that could destroy the Mass Production Evas and sway away control of Third Impact from her was still trapped on the moon. Courtesy of Rei Ayanami.

Doctor Octopus laughed herself silly. After today, he would be as empty as she was before. When their fight begins, it would be two overmen rising above the little people.

Victory was hers.

They were going to die.

Rei knew this. Maya, deep in her heart, knew it as well. Even with superheroes on their side, there were simply too many to be realistically defeated in one day. Certainly not by three people holding out in the basement.

She said nothing, when Kaji stood up and marched out the door. Maya did not either. Rei wondered if Maya knew she couldn't stop him, or didn't want to. She didn't think about the answer.

"We're stuck in here…" Maya said. "I hope we accomplished something… anything… I don't want to think about what Doctor Octopus would do if she won."

Neither did Rei.

She thought of what was to come. Misato, Ritsuko and Makoto would die out there. Vincennes and Kirishima could take care of themselves, but not for longer. Asuka was out fighting the Evas, her fate unknown.

Shinji… would he die to Doctor Octopus? Would he win, but have to confront the entire army himself? Would they all share the same fate?

Was this fair?

Rei felt her arms shag. She was tired. Tired of being kidnapped, of being dragged around and played like a doll. She was tired of being unable to do anything but watch her friends fight battles for her. She hated it, hated herself for her weakness.

Nothing could be done. Nothing.

She turned. Rei looked at the metal box Kaji left behind.

Truly nothing?

She was made to fuse with Adam. Her clones, before and after, were to merge with the first Angel, bring about the scenario birthed by Gendo. Rei had murdered her sisters not too long before. It was only fair to them she would complete their mission. Her mission.

Gendo Ikari was wrong. She wouldn't sacrifice anyone for her scenario, unlike him.

Rei pressed a button, opening the lid on top of the box.

"Rei?" Maya saw her. "What are you doing?!"

"What I should have done sooner." Rei told her. "You saved me. I will save all of you."

She reached inside, knowing exactly what she had to do.

"What the hell is going on-?!"

The systems were going haywire. The blue pattern BALTHASAR detected now gave away to a swirling blue and orange pattern. After that, the monitors were filled with static.

"No, no no no no!" Doctor Octopus yelled in frustration. "NO! I was close! This was my moment of triumph!"

The room began to shake around her. Even Doctor Octopus, with all her frustration, was afraid of the sweeping chill she suddenly felt.

"N-No… what is this… what is…?"

One by one, the monitors returned to life.

Nobody was on the cameras. Not her soldiers. Not Ikari. Not the Black Cat, the redhead, or… anyone…

Except for Spider-Man. A monitor showed him breaking into one of the vents.

"He's here… but not them…?" She wondered. "But where…?"

Another glance, and Doctor Octopus found something just as disturbing.

The satellite image of the moon no longer showed the Lance of Longinus.

Asuka didn't want to die.

Everything she did, she did it so that she wouldn't have to die alone. She wanted to get back to Rei as fast as possible.

The hope was rapidly draining from her.

No matter what she did, nothing could destroy the Evas. Her Progressive Knife broke. The Evas held on to their lances, so she couldn't take them, and they wouldn't stop coming.

It was beginning to blur in her mind. She punched one. Crushed another. She had ripped apart all of them a hundred times by this point. None of those efforts mattered. They would regenerate and come back. Their cores were impenetrable. They were impenetrable. Without back up, Asuka was fighting a losing battle.

"I'm not quitting." Asuka said to no one. "Not yet. Never…"

"I'm sorry, Asuka."

Asuka tore the arm off an Eva, and slammed it across its face. She kicked another.

"You already said that. It's getting annoying."

"Sorry."

Another Eva bit into her leg. Asuka flipped the Eva over, and ripped its teeth out. It would regenerate eventually.

"You're just like Shinji when you do that. I think you'd like him."

"I remember him. Yui's son. I'm happy he helped you."

Yet another stabbed a lance through her stomach. Asuka growled, grabbing the lance and stabbing it through the chest. It would come back.

"Lots of people helped me. You included."

"…"

She threw the lance at an incoming Eva. It pummeled him to the ground. He would come back as well.

"We're probably going to die here. Thanks for being with me, at the end."

Asuka felt her arms sag. Sure enough, the Evas came back. All of them, yet again, baring their teeth at her. With how little damage was left, it was like they hadn't even fought at all. Asuka couldn't help but feel insulted.

"Anything for you, Asuka. I have always been proud of you."

At that, Asuka smirked.

"I wouldn't say… I'm someone to be proud of… not yet…"

She brought her fists up.

"I can do this all day, assholes!" She roared. "Come on! Show me what you got!"

The Evas nodded their heads, acknowledging her. They began their slow march. No reason to rush. Their prey wouldn't be going anywhere. They were seven, and they were one. All would die to them.

At that moment, Asuka's spider-sense went off.

"What the… hell is… going on?"

"ASUKA! INCOMING!"

Asuka turned around.

A large red lance, one she had never seen before, flew toward her.

She grabbed it with her hand. A rush of power flowed through her.

"What is… this…?"

She heard the screech of an Eva. She swiftly stabbed the Lance through it.

Unlike before, it went through the core.

The Eva dropped its grin. Asuka felt hers raise.

"Schön."

Suddenly, it exploded.

"NO!"

Doctor Octopus slammed her fists into the console, her rage twisting her face.

"THE LANCE OF LONGINUS WAS SUPPOSED TO BE SEALED ON THE MOON! HOW COULD THIS BE?!"

They were six and-

Six

and

Six

and

Six

and

Six

and

…

The Evas couldn't compute what they witnessed.

It made Asuka grin harder.

"Are you afraid?" She said, dashed with jolly fearlessness. "I'd be too. Don't worry. You'll be joining him soon."

The seventh had been destroyed. The first was in denial, rushing with its lance at Asuka. She slammed her Lance into its own, knocking the Eva away before shoving her weapon into its core.

Sure enough, it also exploded.

The rest howled as one would expect them too. They furiously crawled to Asuka, eager to tear apart their would-be prey.

Asuka simply continued her path of destruction.

She slashed the throat of the second Eva, kicking the third away to stab it properly. One it exploded, she stomped on the third, and stabbed its core. Another explosion.

"I can't believe it… we're actually doing it, Mama!"

"Indeed we are! Very lucky, Asuka."

Despite a lack of eyes, Asuka could feel the fourth cowering away from her. She chose to ignore its feelings, proceeding to slam the Lance inside of it. Explosion. The fifth went on top of her, aiming to bite the head, scratching at the armor.

"Hold on a sec."

She shoved her Lance through the Eva. It missed the core, but the fifth began to bleed from the torso, with Asuka spinning the Lance and Eva around, only to smash both to the ground. Asuka used the Lance as a pole, kicking another Eva lunging at her, only to pick it up when done. She shoved it through the core.

Another explosion. Another win.

"Mutter… I…" Asuka sighed. "I wanted… to say…"

She heard a soft hum inside the Entry Plug. A warmth enveloped her, like a memory Asuka had long forgotten…

"Asuka, you don't have to forgive me. I am glad to do anything for you, here and now."

"But… I do forgive you! I do!" Asuka said, almost pleadingly. "I needed to say it, if we… if I can't see you again…"

Realistically, Asuka knew she couldn't keep Unit 02. It was property of the German Military. It would have to be retired, destroyed, or used for something else. She had to say it, before anything else happened…

She felt the warmth increase. A pair of phantom arms wrapped around her stomach, as if a ghost was behind her.

"You don't have worry about me, liebling. I have, and always will, love you with all my heart. By the time you reach my age, you will have made the world a better place. You are my pride, as a mother, as a scientist, even as a woman."

"… Thanks, Mama…" Asuka said. "… after this, I hope I get to know more about you…"

So caught up in the moment, Asuka barely registered her spider-sense tingling.

The final Eva marched forward with its own lance, and stabbed Unit 02's core.

"GAAAH!" Asuka coughed blood. Her sync ratio was rising to 300%. "You- fuck-!"

She stabbed her Lance into the last Eva. It exploded almost instantly, but the damage was done. All around the entry plug sparks began to fry the LCL. Asuka tried to take control, but the console was melting.

"Fuckin' hell! I was so close! No!"

An alarm began to blare inside the Plug. The self-destruct kicked in. Asuka realized how bad her situation was, and began to bang against the plug.

"N-no! This can't be how it ends! I can't die! Not here!"

She had so much she wanted to live for! She wanted to learn, to love, to find her mother, to find herself, to grow old with Rei, to save the world… to make up for the lives she destroyed as Venom… to make up for a childhood stolen from her…

"My time has come."

Asuka heard the pressure deflate. The entry plug began to spin.

"No… please, no."

She knew exactly what was happening. The entry plug became a little less warm by the second.

"I love you Asuka. Live a good life."

Tears formed around Asuka's eyes.

"N-No! MOMMA!"

Asuka felt the the plug propelling backwards. She had been violently ejected from Unit 02. In realization of that, Asuka closed her eyes, and mourned.

The plug tumbled into the ground, beaten and torn by the impact. When it came to a stop, when she was able to, Asuka punched at the plug's hatch, escaping.

She didn't even get a last look at her Eva. Unit 02 had already been engulfed in a fiery explosion, forever lost to time.

"No… no…."

Her voice went quiet.

Asuka got to her knees, unable to do more than weep for the mother she had only just begun to know. Just when she finally got to talk to her, when they had worked together to save the world…

"Mama… I'm sorry… I wish I hadn't hated you… I shouldn't have let that doll made me hate the real you…"

Asuka couldn't stop herself from crying. Long ago, she promised to never cry, to always hold strong even in the face of death. It was a foolish, childish promise. The only way she could express herself, to show what she truly felt, was to let the tears run down her eyes. Her mother deserved better, as did she.

She could only hope everyone else at the base were doing better than her…

"Mama… ma…ma…"

The ground shook. A loud explosion was heard from the distance.

"Another?!" Asuka turned her head. "What?!"

Her eyes widened in horror. Her ultimate fear came to pass.

"GRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!"

Her tentacles smashed the floor in fury. Naoko Akagi had never been more outraged in her life. She held onto the console as she took deep breaths to calm herself.

"SHE RUINED ME!" She screamed. "EVERYTHING I WORKED FOR, GONE IN A FLASH!"

Somehow, Asuka had destroyed the Evas. With them gone, the scenario was dead. Even if they had remained, MELCHIOR ran a scan through the base to confirm the worst. NERV HQ was empty, with no Adam in sight. Cameras around the facility couldn't detect anything. Naoko was blind.

It took all she had not to tear her hair apart.

"There has to be something! Anything! I have to get revenge… yes… yes…"

If she couldn't remake the world to her liking, she would go for the next best thing. Destroying what she could.

The MAGI did not extend past Japan. However, with the push of a button, she could detonate the MAGI so it would destroy all of the major cities! She would put the populace out of their misery!

She put the helmet back on her head. She felt the rush flowing through her again, information, data streams, the freedom that came with connecting to herself… She would miss it, once the base was destroyed.

Doctor Octopus activated the camera. No doubt, hundreds sat in shock over her disgusting face. Too bad for them.

"Ladies and gentlemen! It seems my demands haven't been met… worse, my plans are foiled! I GUESS I WILL SIMPLY HAVE TO KILL EVERY SINGLE LAST ONE OF YOU!"

She didn't care how unhinged she sounded. Naoko was furious, needing to vent her frustrations. The cries of hundreds fueled her spite ever more.

"No one is coming to save you now, kittens! PREPARE TO MEET YOUR ANCESTORS IN THE AFTERLIFE!"

All it needed was just one command. Just one, and then…

"SO LONG, WORLD!"

"C'mon, not even a little chocolate basket before you go?"

Her eye twitched.. Slowly, Naoko turned around to find the only person she had been looking forward to seeing, just at the time she desperately wanted him gone.

"Oh. There you are."

Torn. Shredded. None of those mattered now. Spider-Man placed his hands on his hips, facing down his greatest enemy.

"You're done, Doc. All this? Evas, the MAGI, this pointless slaughter? It ends now."

Author's Notes:

I dare you to put the names of the soldiers Anti-Venom killed through google translate. Go ahead. Try.

There was something I neglected to mention last time that I honestly should have… I didn't learn until the last chapter was finished that John Romita had passed away. Steve Ditko gave Spider-Man his soul, then John Romita was important for providing his heart. In Romita's run, we got to see Peter grow up from insecure nerd to a handsome young man. We got to meet Mary Jane Watson, peeled back the mask to find out Norman Osborn was the Green Goblin, had Peter become friends with Harry and Gwen Stacy, and all sorts of classic bad guys like Kingpin, Silvermane, Rhino and the like. I consider everything from Lee-Dito to Lee-Romita to be all one saga, a coming of age tale unlike many in comics. Romita was just as important to Spider-Man as Ditko, along with his other amazing work at Marvel he deserved to be remembered. Rest in peace.

I had never planned to include the symbiote in the fic. I wanted to keep the story focused on Shinji and his journey, and I wanted to have him fight challenges that would make sense for him and the setting. That is why we didn't get to see certain characters like Kraven in the fic, but why Kaji was bastardized into becoming the Chameleon (I hope fans like his little semi-redemption here at least).

However, when Venom and Black Cat finally did come in the picture, I always had one person in mind when it came to who it would be: Gendo.

Shinji and Gendo are two sides of the same coin, Gendo a bad omen of what Shinji could be. Gendo was afraid of his son, afraid of being alone, with everything he did in the series being his way of reuniting with Yui. Some have suggested he'd make sense as the Green Goblin, and that would fit, but Venom was always the evil Spider-Man, the dark mirror to Peter's selflessness consumed by ego. If played as a villain, Gendo!Venom would attack Spider-Shinji from the shadows, make him feel helpless and weak, threaten his loved ones and force him to pilot for his scenario. If played somewhat sympathetically, Gendo could go down the path of redemption, genuinely wanting to help his son but not understanding how to. I wanted to leave Gendo on a note where he would become Venom in the future, but not fought until after the fic was over. Well, Anti-Venom became a consolation prize eh?

Time for reviews:

lautaro94: I like to give little moments that humanize the characters. Eve if they're not sympathetic, it's important to keep track of motivations and how they feed into their decisions. Glad you liked the chapter. If you want to see the big moment for Shinji, tune in the next time!

Truenofan86: You could argue that Shinji and Asuka are sort of anomalies, though not from being a crossover character. This fic established the Angels as existing outside the normal boundaries of space-time, which means that Shinji or Asuka gaining their powers from them lands them in an unusual circumstance. Might they be immune to canon events due to this method? Who knows? It will be touched upon somewhat in the Spider-Verse fic. After this fic is done, I will post a preview chapter of what I intend to do. I love the number you gave this universe, truly. I have been referring to it in my notes as Earth-39596.

Author0fntent: Yes, Natasha is out there! Whether we'll see her in this fic will depend…

Z-King: No gooping around, lol.

keybladelight: It's been in the Endgame phase since Revenge of the Sinister Six, next chapter is the final battle.

Enjoy the last omake from Johnny Freeman, aka FatDrunkDragon, who has been a wonderful friend and support for the fic. He is a beautiful man and I am proud to call him a brother. Next chapter, the final showdown between Spider-Man and Doctor Octopus in:

Hero Part III - Humanity

Omake:

"The Omake Brainstorming Session" by Johnny Freeman

TOMP-TOMP-TOMP

"It's open!"

Misato opened the door to the writers room, spotting Shinji in his Spider-Man costune, Rei in her Squirrel Girl costume, and Asuka messing around with her Iron Girl helmet. In the middle of the group was a disheveled and sleep-deprived Johnny Freeman, gesturing her to step inside and close the door.

"You better have a good reason to call me out of Work."

Misato said as she took a seat in between Asuka and Shinji. Johnny clapped his hands together, taking a deep breath to look to the people surrounding him.

"So long story short, I got a message from GainaxVel03 to do another omake for Spider-Shinji."

Rei raised her hand up, asking the following question:

"Doesn't it seem strange to write an omake in the middle of the fanfiction's climax?"

"GainaxVel03 likes to keep me busy…" Johnny admitted, "I've been having a difficult time to write an omake and he decided to get creative."

"Creative?"

Shinji repeated. Johnny looked up from Shinji, staring directly at the door that they all came in from.

"He got Mari to encourage my creativity."

Johnny whispered in fear. He looked down to his leg, grabbing everyone's attention. Everyone's widened in horror, forcing some to look back to the door.

"Yeah. She cut off my leg and left to get me dinner. My time is running short, so I brought you all here so that we can collaborate on the next omake for Spider-Shinji."

The room went quiet, four minds nervously coming together to share their own ideas on what the omake should be about. A few minutes later, Shinji had an idea.

"Why don't we have someone else become a superhero? Like we already have Rei, Asuka, Misato… Maybe Touji's Daredevil or…"

"Daredevil? Get real Dweeb!" Asuka shouted, standing up and turning to Johnny, "If we need an ACTUAL friend who could be a Hero, it would have to be Hikari… as-"

"Miss Marvel."

Asuka turned to Rei, minding the interruption. She got closer to ask:

"We're talking about the Space Miss Marvel or the stretchy shifter Miss Marvel?"

"I think Hikari would be a unique Space Superhero."

Misato shook her head at the girls idea, standing up to share her own.

"I think we have enough young superheroes. What we REALLY need is more… adult heroes. I definitely would like to see Ritsuko taking the reins as a superheroine. Maybe the trio. OH!" She snapped her fingers at an idea! "FANTASTIC FOUR!"

"We can't do that." Johnny shook his head, "Fantastic Four is already canon to Spider-Shinji."

"Wait, really?"

"No shit, Genius! Marie mentioned it to you in her backstory! You forget that?"

"Asuka, get off my back! I have a lot of work on my plate! I can't remember every-"

"Besides" Johnny interrupted, "I think people will already be expecting this to be a thing, so we won't be doing that."

Everyone awe'd in disappointment. Sitting back down, they continued brainstorming. Rei raised her hand up. She cleared her throat and offered her idea:

"Why don't we return to the multiverse? We could create a short, humorous narrative involving a certain character of the multiverse saving the day?"

"Or maybe we could get Miguel O'Hara to show up and try to beat up the idiot for ruining canon"

Asuka added, much to Shinji's annoyance.

"We could probably put a pin on the Multiverse…" Johnny thought of it. "Not sure about Miguel O'Hara. I think the jokes stopped being funny after the movie."

"Maybe," Misato interjected "We should focus less on wackier Multiverse concepts and maybe… I don't know, just write one more of our adventures."

"Misato, I don't have any idea as to what the hell am I going to do!" Johnny exclaimed.

"Easy! Iron Asuka and She Hulk coming together to fight… I dunno, fuckin' Venom or something!"

"Squirrel Rei and Iron Lady teaming up to face off against Galactus" Rei added. "I have Hostess fruit pies.

"YEAH!" Asuka smiled. "I like that one a lot more!"

"Uuuhh… How about Spider-Man and… Iron Lady team up to fight-" "BUZZ OFF, IKARI!" "Hey, leave him alone!" Misato looks to Shinji and then a better idea pops up. "Why not Spider-Man and She-Hulk have to sue someone!"

"Perhaps all of us can come together to save the world, as a superhero team."

Rei looked to everyone, giving a small smile before turning to Asuka, already expecting her to agree to the idea.

"Yeah yeah I guess we can put them all together."

"It would be nice…" Johnny winced at what he would say next. "One small issue: omakes are short. We're already on the third page of this thing and I am not going with trying to tell a story in 5 pages."

"WHY DO YOU EVEN NEED TO SET IT UP?! IT'S JUST A SUPER HERO TEAM UP! THEY DO THESE KINDS OF THINGS ALL THE TIME!"

"I LIKE CONSISTENCY DAMNIT!"

"IT'S CAPE SHIT, GENIUS! CONSISTENCY GETS IN THE WAY OF FUN CROSSOVERS WITH ACTION AND FUN CHARACTER DYNAMICS!"

"But that's not true." Shinji interrupted. "I mean, without consistency, I think it would lead to poor story telling-"

"Oh My god, shot the fuck up nerd!" Asuka shouted back

"Hey!" Misato got up. "You leave Shinji alone, ASUKA!"

"The heck you'll do if I don't, ya old bat!" "OLD BAT?!"

Misato turned green, muscles forming, Asuka activated her Iron Lady armor, Shinji quickly put his web shooters on and Rei pulled out her tail. The entire room turned into a massive free-for-all with Misato and Asuka fighting each other to the death while Shinji and Rei tried to pull them away from each other. Johnny took cover from the battle, hiding behind a desk that was nearly crushed by Misato's body being punched into it. The chaos only worsemed as the door to the writers room was opened by Mari, dropping the food in surprised.

"YOU GUYS ARE HAVING A CIVIL WAR AND Y'ALL DIDN'T INVITE ME?!"

Mari pulled back her Desert Eagle's slide as she tried to shoot at… Anything really. Asuka's Helmet, Misato's left boob, missing Shinji's head, or even Johnny's right foot! As everyone prepared to finish each other off, someone blew an airhorn. THAT got everyones attention, not the least of which was hurting Rei's ears.

Turning to the door, GainaxVel3o held the Airhorn high in the ceiling! He dropped the airhorn and looked around the room, seeing the characters beaten close to death. He cleared his throat and uttered out the following:

"WHAT. THE. FUCK?!"

He was soon besieged by competing explanations, drowning each other out in an attempt to blame one or the other on who started the fight.

"ONE AT A TIME!" GainaxVel3o screamed, "Just WHAT exactly is going on here?"

"Johnny's called us in because you told him you needed an omake and we tried to give him some new ideas but we all have these ideas that we just didn't know what to do!" Shinji explained.

"Do whatever you want! Everyone knows this is going to be the last omake of the fic!"

There was silence in the room. Everyone glared at GainaxVel03 as if he was the one who farted in the room.

"What?"

"You had us perform a Death Match on us… only to tell us this is the LAST OMAKE OF THE FIC?!"

"I mean the fic's coming to an end," GainaxVel3o shrugged. "Did you guys really think this would go on forever?"

A cruel realization passed the main players. The cast's wildest dreams and ambitions would come to an end. "Now I know this sounds bad, buuut-"

Before Gainax could even suggest anything, he was kicked in the testicles by Mari's severed foot. Soon, everyone came together to deliver the meanest beatdown to the man.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAHHH JOHNNY! HELP ME!"

GainaxVel03 screamed, his would-be savior escaping the room, leaving his "best friend" to his fate.